Act One: A Portrait's World Apart
by Lavenian
Summary: Canvas fabric and a coat of paint is no barrier for the power of love. Jack and Elsa, though distanced by space and time, find each other from within simple paintings.
1. Prologue

**A Portrait's World Apart**

Elsa was upstairs in her archive in the castle of Arendelle, examining a tentative trade agreement with the Kingdom of Corona down south. After the merriment commemorating the end of the debacle of Elsa's unintentional eternal winter seven years ago its been nothing but business, business, business. The queen sometimes thought to herself if she made a brash decision to cut off ties with Weselton years ago, still, the Duke did authorize her assassination and that in itself is grounds for severing of diplomacy.

She pinched her forehead after the paperwork finally began to dull her mind and cause it to throb. As if on cue (because why not?) a butler came in, "Would you care for a hint of tea, your Highness?"

"That would be lovely," Elsa sat on her comfy lounge chair by the side as the butler poured some fresh tea on the nearby table. After a sip Elsa breathed in deep and exhaled long and hard to calm her aching nerves.

"Will that be all, milady?"

"Yes, that will be all, thank you."

"My pleasure, your Highness," the butler was about to proceed outside the room when he turned back to inform her of some important thing coming up, "By the way, your highness, you haven't forgotten about it, have you?"

"About what?"

"Lord Baldur, the Royal Portraitist, it seems he has returned after his long sojourn around the world."

That name rang fond old memories in her head – Baldur, he was an old friend of Elsa's parents, and a talented artist. Her mother used to say that when her father ascended the throne, Baldur was made the Royal Portraitist, and the many paintings about the walls were, for the most part, his masterpieces. Baldur was like an uncle to Anna and her growing up, but at some point he departed to "broaden his horizons" as he put it.

Elsa received a message not too long ago about his return, and she had been waiting for this day since, wondering if maybe he had painted some interesting things about the world he could share with her.

"Thank you, please make sure to inform me when his boat arrives, I would very much like to greet him warmly."

"I shall inform the Harbormaster with all due haste, your Highness."

After he left, Elsa stared out the window, outside was Anna and Kristoff, playing with their young son and daughter as they've been for awhile. She promised Anna that she would handle the kingdom-running duties while she and Kristoff raised a family together, and something about it didn't ring quite well with Elsa, at least at first; Anna was impulsive and prone to flinging herself into things she had no idea nor preparation for, and yet here she was doing her very best to be a good mother and wife to her children and Kristoff, respectively.

That aside, Elsa did feel a tiny bit envious. Anna and Kristoff were going about raising a family and possibly inheriting the kingdom when she, inevitably, kicks the bucket. Elsa wished she could make her mark and found a family of her own, but she hadn't found the one, and with a heavy heart, pondered if she never will.

(Another world away)

Jack Frost, the mischievous spirit of winter, sat patiently in the middle of a great park. It was autumn and the leaves turned assorted shades of red, orange, yellow and gold. He was getting ready to begin another season of powder-white and crystalline blue, when kids built fortresses of frost and snowballs to wage mock war with one another.

In the meantime, this quiet period of listening to the wind rustling in the leaves was a good way to relax and calm himself before the storm, and he wanted to listen in on how the people wanted to have their winter to be like, as winters were notoriously unpredictable whenever he wasn't around to stir it in the right direction.

Turning his head about while gliding above the oblivious crowds, Jack observed the people busy passing through the park lanes getting ready for the holiday season. Primarily, he saw young and old people in pairs, taking in the fall beauty before winter came in full force; there were a wide assortment of them – like young grade school students blushing as they walked with each other and held hands, or teenagers carving names in heart-shaped borders on trees, or a pair of old folks sitting down feeding the pigeons. All this happiness however, seemed to penetrate him like an ice-cutting saw slicing chunks of ice from a frozen fjord, not because he couldn't be seen and the fact no one could see him to share in their merriment, but because he had no one to share it with.

Was it family? He pondered, he already had one – his sister, the children who believed in him, his fellow Guardians. But no, it wasn't quite _that_ sort of family. It was the sight of a father and mother, with a little stroller carrying their little one, that answered his question: they leaned together as they walked to stay warm while their baby cooed and squealed with joy; maybe... Jack longed for a family of this kind? Who could say?

He stopped hovering when he eyed a stranger painting something by a patch of grass overlooking a view of the park bridge, yet he wasn't painting the scene in front of him, but something, or rather someone, else.

The painting was primarily that of a ghostly yet serene lake frozen in the height of winter, on the ice, decked in a beautiful frosty blue dress and wearing skating shoes, was a fair maiden, with platinum-blonde hair merrily skidding gracefully about the ice. Breathtaking though it was, Jack noticed something unusual about the scene, he couldn't quite figure it out when something unexpected occurred.

"Beautiful, is she not?"

Jack was surprised, and nearly fell back when the realization that this painter knew of his existence.

"Don't be afraid, Jack, the Guardians and children aren't the only ones for whom you are visible."

Awkwardly he tried to resume his casual demeanor, "Wow, I mean, um... that's a breathtaking painting, mister...?"

"Baldur, I am called Baldur."

What an unusual name, Jack mused for himself, "So... who is she?"

"Why does it matter?" Baldur replied bluntly.

"I'm just curious, that's all."

Baldur glanced him for three seconds, and could read through his curiosity like an open book, "You look as though you've found something missing, Mister Frost."

Sighing in resignation, Jack admitted that there was more than awe for the majesty of the painting that glued his sight to it, "This woman on the portrait, she seems to be enjoying herself in the snow."

"And...?" Baldur seemed to be expecting more, and he received it.

"I think... she's missing something." Again, Jack felt there was something not quite right about the portrait, but he still couldn't put a finger on it.

That is until his gaze moved to her hands; Baldur could sense him catching on too.

"Her hands..." Jack started, "they look like they're supposed to be holding on to something, and her face..." Looking at her face, that's when he noticed something else, too.

"She looks like she's looking at someone, very intently, and with love in her eyes."

Yet she was just there skidding with no one holding her but thin air.

"Who is she supposed to be skating with?"

"Whoever you want her to, Jack."

"What does that mean?"

"What does it mean to you?"

"Is that a trick question?"

"Only because you're tricking yourself."

Jack bent his head and rubbed his nose bridge. This Baldur person was annoyingly vague.

"Mom, look, it's snow!" Jack whirled to see a young boy pointing at the tiny snowflakes beginning to fall from the heavens. Winter was about to begin, and a little sooner than Jack would have liked.

"It looks like I have work to see about, sorry old man but I guess I'll have to cut our little discussion short."

"Think nothing of it, boy, we'll see each other again."

(Arendelle again)

A humble, well-worn cog docked at the harbor of Arendelle and the Queen, her entourage, and her extended family, stood with anticipation for the person onboard.

The gangplank was lowered and from the ship stepped down a man with a deep navy blue cloak lowered to show his head and face. He was a man of about his late forties, yet it was kind of hard to tell since his face was so smooth he never has to shave. His head was full of electric blue hair with a single braid hanging by the right temple of his forehead.

Anna and Elsa walked towards him, and hugged him tight as family members would, Elsa was the first to speak, "Uncle Baldur, you're finally home!"

"Ho ho, good day, Anna, Elsa, I'm sorry I haven't been around lately."

Anna butted in, "You mean at all! Where were you, Uncle? You could have sent us some of your fancy paintings!"

"Oh I'm sorry, girls, but you know the world is a big place, you should have seen it."

"Ooh, you should tell us, Uncle Baldur!"

As they proceeded out the docks, Anna introduced Baldur to her husband, Kristoff, "Oh, Uncle Baldur, this is my husband, Kristoff, Royal Ice Deliverer of Arendelle."

Baldur chuckled, and bent down to Elsa, "Is that a thing?"

Elsa whispered in to him, "Just play along with it, Anna requested I did."

Kristoff extended a hand to shake, "Nice to meet you, I believe Anna already stated my name so..."

Baldur brought his hand to Kristoff, "Pleasure to meet you, my good man."

Behind Kristoff were two tiny tykes, a redheaded little boy and a wee tiny blonde girl.

Baldur knelt down and tilted his head to get a better look, "My, what precious little youngsters you have."

"Come on out kids, no need to be shy," Kristoff shifted his position to let his and Anna's kids be seen.

Anna decided to take the initiative and introduce them, "This is Gustaf, he's my energetic little youngster, you wouldn't believe the distance he can cover on a sled, Uncle Baldur. I swear he'll outpace Kristoff one day!"

Little Gustaf chided in, "I'm still no match for Pop, Mama."

Anna scooped him snuggly, "Oh no need to be shy, Gustaf, you know it's true!"

Baldur turned to the little girl sticking close to cover by her father's pants, "And who are you, little one?"

Kristoff took the honor of introducing her himself, "This is our precious little princess, Agatha. She's not much for conversation, you might say she takes after her aunt Elsa than Anna or I."

Baldur took little Agatha's hand, "No need to be afraid, little one, I'm as much family as your parents," he flashed one of those winning smiles and that seemed to warm the little one enough to smile comfortably to him, she reached a hand to shake, Baldur obliged.

It was an oddity hiding under a small snow flurry that caught his attention behind all of them.

The snowman extended his little branch, "Hi, I'm Olaf, and I like warm hugs."

Baldur couldn't help but chuckle to himself, "Hello, Olaf, it's nice to meet you."

"Wow, it's so nice to see family come together again, I feel like singing..." Anna and Kristoff gathered to stop him.

"Maybe another time, Olaf." both giggled a little nervously.

After some more catching up, Elsa and the rest brought him back to the castle and presented his old quarters, which was re-furbished to pristine condition, as how it was just before he departed.

"I hope everything is as you asked, Uncle."

"It's just beautiful, my dear, it will be good to paint in Arendelle again."

"Well, I'd best be off, I still have a dozen matters to attend to."

"Take care, Elsa."

(A World Away)

In a tiny woodland cottage isolated from the rest of town, was a man in his late forties, it was difficult to tell though, given how clean-shaven his face was (now where have we heard this before?) he was wearing a padded leather jacket of a navy blue and white long jeans. He stared outside the window and saw that winter was now upon the land, he smiled, no doubt that spunky kid with the white hair was at it.

He sat down and started heating some water in a kettle before settling down to the easel and began work on another art piece.

Outside the window, a lanky youth, barefoot and filled with questions to ask, glided down by a small drift near Baldur's window, and silently shifted through the window like a ghost. Baldur expected his company, and addressed Jack's presence.

"You should make a habit to knock, Jack."

"I prefer more direct pathways, but enough about that. I'm hear to see my question answered."

(Arendelle castle, nighttime)

"Uncle Baldur, it's time for dinner." Elsa peered into his room and saw that he was just finishing up.

"I'll be there in a minute, dear, in the meantime, why don't you come in and check out my paintings? You might find something that will interest you."

Elsa stepped in and admired Baldur's amazing gallery of paintings, adorned about the room in a beautiful panorama of scenes, peoples, and objects.

"You're still as impressive as ever, Uncle."

"Thank you, my dear, all these pieces were inspired by my adventures throughout the world, these pictures in particular."

He presented her with an interesting selection chronicling some of his more interesting adventures.

Here he presented his journey through the world through his paintings: an ogre betrothed to a princess, a land of warriors and cursed bear-men, a city of gold beyond the Ocean Sea, a mermaid who united men and merfolk, an island of dragon tamers, a kind-hearted but disfigured hunchback who lives in a tall church bell tower, and a country of talking animals skilled in exotic fighting styles.

"You've certainly seen many things in your travels, Uncle."

"It's merely a taste of of what I've seen in my assorted portraits so far, but I figured I have enough time doing the rest in my spare time in Arendelle."

While Elsa marveled at the various paintings and portraits, one in particular struck a chord in her more than the others.

It was a painting of a serene but eerie lake in the height of the frozen season, and skating about the ice was an elegant stranger with silver-white hair, gliding with bliss across the frozen lake. Elsa had to admit, he looked very handsome, albeit a very wild kind of handsome, like a wolf in the drifts sprinting with his mate.

Which made her notice the oddity in the painting immediately, "He looks so happy and in love... but there's nothing there."

"What do you mean, Elsa?"

"I mean, this painting... it looks incomplete."

"Only because you see it that way, Elsa."

"What do you mean? What have I to do with the painting?"

"This painting has everything to do with you."

"I don't understand, Uncle."

"Does this mean you like the young man in the painting, my dear?"

"What? No! Uncle, stop with these mind games and just answer my question!"

At this point, Baldur found himself in that special moment, the moment he knew when he, two worlds away, separated by a mere easel and some layer of paint, was synchronized perfectly in either that he could join two into one; something he was looking forward to for years.

(At this point Baldur's two halves are going to converse with Jack and Elsa, the sentences will be the same except for minor differences marked by a "/" symbol)

"What question?" Baldur feigned ignorance.

"He/She is all alone in this portrait, yet he/she looks so happy, and yet no one is there to indicate why, or who he/she is happy with."

Jack and Elsa didn't understand why they were getting so worked up over something as simple as a portrait, but here they were, going up in arms over it.

"Jack/Elsa, why all this fuss over a mere portrait that I've made?"

They both placed a palm on the portrait from their side, and for some reason, they felt a tingling warmth from it, like... like... a bond that permeated outside and inside the canvas right before themselves.

"I don't know, I... I know it's just a silly portrait, but... he/she feels so alive, and I guess, well, I've been looking for someone lately... someone who I feel, who I know, would be willing to spend forever with me."

Baldur looked at the both of them with a joyous, cheery smile. Neither Jack nor Elsa realized that, at that very moment, Baldur saw the both of them standing together in his transdimensional vision, and maybe he could help make that sight a reality for the both of them.

"Jack/Elsa, would you like to meet the one in my painting?"

**I'm not sure whether I should keep this a one-shot or a full-fledged story, I mean, I have the makings of it in my head, but I can't put it down just by myself. Well, we'll see what happens as you review my little contribution to the Jelsa fandom.**

**I hope you also got the reference to the Disney and Dreamworks animated canon in the paintings, by the way.**


	2. The Moon Mirror

**The Moon Mirror**

Somewhere in the Arendelle wilderness, Queen Elsa and her family were enjoying a picnic on a warm, sunny day. Baldur came along for the ride for the heck of it and he busied himself sketching some more things for future paintings. Gustaf, Anna, Kristoff and Agatha were playing tag at the nearby meadow. But Elsa was looking busy with something, it wasn't documents pertaining to business deals or local land grants; no it was a map she was looking at, a map that, according to her Uncle Baldur, led to a hidden place called the Moon Mirror – a mythical lake in Arendelle folklore which, allegedly, was where the myth of the Snow Queens of Arendelle began.

The Snow Queen, the legendary (and if Elsa is any indication, very real) founder of an ancient kingdom which preceded Arendelle by a thousand years. According to Baldur, the boy she sees in his paintings can be found if she journeys to this place, the place where her powers were first conceived. Elsa decided to take the family on a picnic, but the reality was that she wanted to find this Moon Mirror, to find this boy in the paintings.

"Elsa?"

Elsa turned about and saw Olaf, her faithful snowman companion, "It's not healthy to just sit there and do nothing, you should join your sister and her family, it'll be fun!"

Elsa shook her head, "Thank you, Olaf, but I have my own ideas for this trip?"

"You mean, more important than your own family?"

"No! No, Olaf, Anna and her family are important to me, naturally, but there's something that's been bugging me and I want to handle this on my own."

"Oh pish-posh, Elsa, there's no need for you to handle this alone... out of curiosity, what's this all about?"

"Well... it's about..."

Olaf edged closer, eager to know more, "About...?"

"...A young man."

"Oh, a young man? That doesn't seem all that much..." It took a while for Olaf to kind of put two and two together.

He gasped as realization kicked in, but Elsa shushed him before he blurted out.

"No shouting, Olaf, I don't want Anna to know."

"Why not? She'd be really happy for you Elsa, everyone will!"

"I know, Olaf, but this one is... well, I think he's special; a different sort of special."

Olaf furrowed a brow, "Wait, you're not falling all 'love at first sight' are you? I though you didn't like that sort of thing."

"That's why I want to get to know him, and also why I don't want Anna to follow, because I suspect she'll play matchmaker in a heartbeat. So please, Olaf, don't tell her."

"Don't tell who?" It was Anna.

Elsa jumped, feeling her heart skip a beat a moment, "Anna, please, don't surprise me like that!"

Ignoring her sister's near-heart attack, Anna inquired what she and Olaf were up to, "Are you keeping secrets from me, Elsa?"

"No," Elsa responded bluntly.

"That's not satisfactory, Elsa, and you know it."

Elsa was starting to get defensive, "Anna, please, I'm not hiding anything."

"Uh-huh, Elsa, I know when people are keeping secrets, Kristoff personally taught me."

"Is that so?" Damn that Kristoff, Elsa thought, she figured that Anna wouldn't be able to read people after all those years in isolation, but Kristoff managed to educate her in a manner of weeks after they first started dating.

"Yes, now Elsa, be a good older sister and tell me, you know you can trust me."

Elsa knows that better than anyone, but this was something she wanted to keep to herself. A person's love-life was something that, as far as she was concerned, something that wasn't worth sharing until it was set in stone. Love from family and friends would never fade, but love from your significant other was fluid, malleable, and she wanted to make sure her love-life had that solid foundation as that of her sister and Kristoff.

She composed herself and quickly thought up a tale that would hopefully sate Anna's curiosity, "Yes, well, I decided that maybe we could try a hike in the woods..." So far so good, "I've thought of a little game that I think young Gustaf and Agatha will both like."

"Oooh, what is it Elsa?" Anna was brimming with excitement, Elsa needed to respond quick.

"It's a treasure hunt... of sorts."

"What kind of treasure hunt?"

"Well... I'm going into the forest over yonder, " Elsa pointed to a small clump of trees over a cliff, where it was said the Moon Mirror was located, "and they have to find my frozen ice-roses I will carefully hide in the forests."

"Oooh, Elsa, that sounds like so much fun! I'll go tell the kids!" She pranced back to Kristoff and her children.

"Whew..." she turned to Olaf, "Olaf, please make sure no one follows me when I go in there."

"You sure you won't get scared when you find him, Elsa?"

"I have nothing to fear, Olaf, because somehow, I think we'll both be expecting each other."

(Another world)

Jack visited the hometown of Jamie Bennett, the boy who helped the Guardians defeat Pitch a year ago, and ever since, became a close friend of Jack.

"Where are you going, Jack?"

"To the lake where I first became a guardian, Jamie, to find a certain someone and fill a certain emptiness I've been feeling for a while."

"Who is it?"

"I have no idea," he answered matter-of-factly.

Jamie looked incredulous, "You want to meet this person, yet you have no idea who it is?"

"It's a she, Jamie, and I just wanted to see her because, well, someone said she might be interested in me."

Jamie snickered as he pieced it all together, "You've found a girlfriend, haven't you?"

"No," Jack replied bluntly, "not yet, at least, let's just say this is just a little get-to-know."

"You hardly know this girl and you're already thinking of hitting her?" Jamie practically seethed with cheekiness, "Mister Frost! I'm surprised, I never thought you a Casanova!"

Jack felt irritation and embarrassment, "It's not like that!" he slumped back on his seat and sighed, "I have etiquette too, you know? The last thing I want to be is some insensitive, boorish jock who thinks I'm in it to score girls."

"Oh relax, Jack, I'm sure she'll dig you, I mean I'm pretty sure she wouldn't ever consider coming to see you if she knew you were a jerk."

"But we're going in without any real idea who we are," Jack thought about what Baldur had told him about the woman in the portrait, "She's, well... I hear she's the queen of some far away place."

Jamie expressed concern, "A queen? Oh my, Jack, I think you really may be over your head. You know how these royal types are: stuck-up, prim, professional, lifeless."

"Hey!" Jack found himself defending a woman he had no idea of, "look, she may be queen, but she's still human, I'm sure that in spite of that, she'll still dig me."

Jamie still expected the worst for his best friend, "Well, I can see there's no stopping you Jack, but would it be too much to ask you something, as a friend?"

"What is it Jamie?"

"What if she doesn't see you?"

Jack froze, he hasn't quite thought that one through, "Well... I, I mean..."

Jamie looked a bit snide, "Yes?"

Jack was taken aback by the realization that made too much sense, what if the woman beyond the painting didn't believe in him and didn't see him? What if he put all this time getting ready to meet her and it all came crashing down?

"You look stressed, Jack, don't worry, I think I can help you here."

"How?" Jack was perplexed by his proposal

"May I come with you? You know, so I can convince her you're real? And maybe make sure she isn't pulling your leg?"

"Won't your parents be worried?"

"Relax, Jack, they're fast asleep, and besides, there isn't any school for me until a couple more weeks."

"Well... ah, I know it's against my better judgment, but I suppose it wouldn't hurt if you tag along."

Jamie fist-pumped, "Yes! Well, what are we waiting for?"

Outside, Jack and Jamie were flying together towards the lake where Jack first became a Guardian, and now it would become the very first place where he would most likely meet his soulmate.

"So I take it this Lake must be pretty special, huh, Jack?"

"No doubt, Jamie, it was here where I became Jack Frost, but also has a history beyond that."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, after we defeated the Bogeyman, old Manny told me an interesting tale about himself, about the Lake, and I must have done something incredible if he personally told me something about himself."

"Well, I'm guessing this will be a little long trip, so... tell me what this interesting story about the Man in the Moon was."

Jack started telling the him about Manny's tale.

Once upon a time (No idea how to begin this one so I decided for something simple) the lake was once the abode of an ancient goddess, a Goddess of Winter, before Jack, there was her. She was breathtakingly beautiful, so beautiful, in fact, that the Man in the Moon took notice of her radiance glistening from the shimmering snow that followed her.

And for the first, and maybe only time, he descended from his astral domain to meet this Snow Queen. They first met at the lake, and from there they started courting, but one thing that cemented how close they felt for each other was the lonely existence they both led. The Goddess delivering and enjoying the flourish of her snow, and Manny, who never knew what it was like to walk upon the Earth and see as the people of Earth did.

But they found solace and comfort in each other, and that was all that mattered, Manny said that was the happiest he had ever been.

"But what happened? Why did Manny return to the moon?"

"I don't know," Jack started, "I didn't push it because it seemed to bring painful memories for him."

Jamie felt kind of sad, as Jack described it, Manny was so happy with this Snow Queen, yet he left, what happened?

(The Arendelle wilderness)

A little trek through the woods wasn't so bad, especially as the sunlight shone through the majestic green canopy from up high.

After setting up enough icy secrets around one end of the forest where Elsa knows she won't be disturbed, she proceeded towards the Moon Mirror, although Olaf decided to tag along to make sure this person she was going to see was "all that."

"So what can you tell me about this gentleman, Elsa?" Olaf asked.

"Well..." so far she was only going by what Uncle Baldur told her, "...he's a bit of a maverick, he likes doing what he wants, whenever he wants."

"Oooh, this young man sounds like bad news, Elsa."

"Don't worry, Olaf, I also heard he's a kindhearted, care-giving soul, that he lives only to bring cheer and happiness to all people, especially to children."

"Oh, well, I guess that makes him okay then."

As they approached, Olaf started asking a question about the place they were going to, the Moon Mirror.

"Well, Olaf, the only thing I've heard is what mother and father used to tell me and Anna before we went to sleep."

"Oh, I love bedtime stories, please, please, Elsa, I'd like to know more." Olaf got a little clingy on her dress, Elsa gently pushed him aside with a gentle laugh.

"All right, Olaf, I guess there's no harm in telling you a little bit about it."

Elsa relayed this tale, a favorite among children both in bed and at school – The story of Disa, the Snow Queen, and her tragic romance with Mani, the God of the Moon.

One day, in an ancient kingdom not quite unlike Arendelle, was a young queen, Queen Disa, who ruled wisely and justly. But more than that, she was also worshipped as a weather goddess, it was said she was a deity who brought winter to all the world when the time for frost came.

People loved and respected her, but they also feared her, and so, she lived for the most part, a lonely existence during the winter, the season she loved the most. But all that changed when Mani came.

Attracted by her grace and beauty, Mani courted the beautiful, and after spending many joy-filled winters together, Mani finally decided to take her as his bride, eventually having a child together.

Olaf was absolutely enamored by the story, "Oh Elsa, that's just lovely. Why, I hope your romance with whoever visits you at the lake is as happy as this story."

Elsa looked away, seeming despondent, "I'm sorry Olaf, but the story doesn't end well for either of them."

Curious and worried, Olaf asked why.

"Let me tell you..." Elsa nearly cracked up because this part of the story was always so sad, "...What happened to Mani and Disa."

Elsa began talking of Hati, an evil being who is feared by Arendelle children for his role to play in the legend of the Snow Queen and the Moon God.

Hati was a wicked, spiteful wolf-demon, but more than that, in Arendelle particularly, he was called the Hatemonger, even his name means "Hatred" in the ancient tongues of this old land.

He hated everyone and everything, but most especially, he hated the love between Mani and Disa. For him, Hate was the only legitimate power in the world, and the love the Moon God and the Snow Queen held was an abomination. So one day, Hati took his magical mirror, a mirror that would make anyone who gazed upon it to see only the most evil and undesirable aspects of a person, and took two shards of it.

One day, when Disa was asleep, Hati magically implanted the mirror shards in Disa's heart and her eye. One day, when Mani came to visit, Disa was horrified at how terrible Mani allegedly became because of the Mirror's influence, and fled from him.

Mani gave chase, until they arrived at the lake where, still terrified, Disa caved in to the fear and attacked Mani. Mani dared not stand in the way, and so he was forced to protect himself

In the middle of one of her assaults, Mani deflected a shard which struck Disa, and the chunk of mirror stuck on her eye was dislodged. Although glass and ice was difficult to discern by humans, Mani could see the differences between the sheen of ice and glass. Mani ran by Disa's side and removed the shard lodged in her heart.

When Disa could finally see clearly, she felt deep regret at what she done to Mani under the Mirror's influence. While they patched things up (running out of words to use) Hati struck while they were distracted. He first threw a magic net that entangled and immobilized her, while he chained Mani and subjected him to the most horrendous experience that Disa would ever witness.

(All right, this next part is kinda gruesome to describe, you can skip via ctrl+f to GRIMM)

Mani was lashed to a tree and beaten by Hati while Disa was forced to watch, tears streaming from her eyes, her mouth forcefully shut so that Hati's laughter wouldn't be disturbed.

Hati then began to dismember Mani, first tearing off his arms and then his legs, all while mocking poor Disa who could only watch as her beloved was ripped apart. After this debauchery was over, Hati chained Mani's still-living but dismembered body to a rock, and with all the strength he could flung Mani back to his abode on the moon, ensuring that he could never return to Earth, and more importantly, back to his beloved Disa.

(GRIMM)

Hati eventually let Disa go, but after that, she changed forever; she was haunted by the torment Hati put her through, and ever since she has slowly descended to paranoia and delusions, eventually her powers spiraled out of control as her fears and despair grew stronger. Eventually, her kingdom buckled under the weight of her pain and the people fled.

The Trolls of the Mountain however, decided that her legacy did not have to die then and there. While Disa was slowly turning mad, the Trolls secretly whisked away her child under orders from Mani, he hated to have to do this, but it was the only way to protect the last piece of Disa he had left as her grief tore her apart.

Elsa stopped, trying to control herself, this was one of those reasons she didn't exactly wanted to believe in having a significant other. If her soul-mate somehow ended up like Mani in the legends, then would she turn like Queen Disa? She shuddered at the thought, she hoped nothing of that sort ever came to pass.

Olaf marched in front of Elsa, "Don't be afraid, Elsa, I'm sure that whatever happens, your story will be nothing like Queen Disa."

"How would you know, Olaf?"

"Because... It's not the end of your story, and as you know, everything will be all right in the end; if it's not okay, then it's not the end."

Elsa smiled, Olaf can be very wise at times, "Thank you, Olaf, you're such a good friend."

"Don't I know it!" as Olaf turned he noticed something off, "Whoa, this looks different."

Elsa stared ahead to what Olaf was looking at: The forest was starting to freeze over, there was snow leading further into the forest, there was just one thing wrong with this scene – this wasn't Elsa's snow.

"We must be getting close, let's go, Olaf."

It took her a while to realize that Olaf wasn't quite there, "Olaf?"

(On the other end of the lake)

"Jamie!" Jack was busy looking about the frost-caked woodlands. As he flew casually through the air and through the canopy, Jamie was accidentally thrown off by a rogue tree branch which he swore he didn't see.

Jack knows Jamie is looking for him too, but he didn't want to keep his Snow Queen waiting, so he just kinda kept close to the ground and maybe Jamie coincidentally found the path to the lake, hopefully.

As for Jamie, he was also looking for Jack, but he was getting lost too.

"This bites," he visited the lake a few times, but this stretch of woods looked strangely unfamiliar, winter or not. Giving up on trying to look for Jack himself, Jamie decided to sit down on a nearby rock and started pelting things around with some tiny rocks. His young eyes turned to what looked like a snowman, "Never saw that before."

He wound up and was about ready to throw his stone at his target, until his target turned his head and stared long and hard into him, then and only then did a surge of panic wash over them.

"Waagh!"

After hiding beneath a drift the two strangers peeked at each other, still somewhat frightened of the other.

(The Frozen Lake)

Elsa finally arrived at the lake, she had to admit it was a tad smaller than she expected.

With the gentle grace that only a queen could handle, she stepped on the thick, sturdy lake ice and proceeded towards the center.

"Hello? Is anyone here?"

As if to answer her question, somewhat, a rabbit made of snow flurries appeared and began making rounds around her.

"What... what is this?" Elsa was pleasantly amused by the display, and suddenly surprised when she came to realize that this person's affinity for the cold extended beyond skating on lakes of ice.

_Two can play at this game_, Elsa thought, and she conjured an ice fox to give chase of the rabbit.

The mock prey and her predator started playing an intense cat-and-mouse chase through the lake.

Elsa, however, stepped a bit closer towards the shore on the opposite end when their game started getting a little too intense. Suddenly, the rabbit jumped towards Elsa without warning; she was forced, perhaps by the shock, to disperse the snow hare, but the fox was still jumping towards her.

"Aah!" she raised her arms defensively to protect herself from the fox. A tall, lanky shadow emerged and shattered the ice fox into motes of shimmering specks.

"That was close."

Elsa looked up, and saw him – the silver-haired, wolfish rogue from Uncle Baldur's paintings.

"Thank you." Jack turned back, taken aback by Elsa's sudden statement.

Elsa didn't understand his surprise, because she couldn't possibly have known of one very important fact about Jack Frost.

"You can see me?"

**I wanted to go on longer, but at this point I'm kinda burned out of ideas.**

**Also, I wanted to stay true to Elsa's character and make sure their relationship develops like something genuine and not contrived, and I ended up not going forward for fear of detracting from it. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this little development and I encourage you to contribute ideas if you like. Well-thought criticisms are, of course, appreciated, and I hope everything in this chapter was (hopefully) satisfactory (for a given value of it, anyway).**


	3. Snowy Serenade

**Snowy Serenade**

Jack helped Elsa up after the whole debacle with the snow animals, sitting down on a nearby log while maintaining a respectable distance from each other.

Jack was the first to apologize, for whatever it was that just occurred, he thought maybe impressing her with some snow tricks would help him ease her first meeting with him.

Jack was genuinely surprised that she, by some freak coincidence of nature (or is it?) she held the same kind of powers as himself.

"I'm sorry if I surprised you, I-I didn't mean to," Jack didn't know what to say, especially not to such a beautiful maiden such as her.

"No, no, it... I should be sorry..." likewise, Elsa didn't quite know what to make of it either. No one in this world (or was she in the other world, as Uncle Baldur stated?) who could dispel snow creatures, except those who could manipulate frost and snow too.

Silence, a very awkward silence surrounded them.

Jack cleared his throat, "So... um, introductions. I'm Jack Overland Frost, but most people call me Jack for short." He extended a hand to shake, _gotta try and stay formal here, it's good for first impressions._

"I'm Elsa, Queen of Arendelle, a pleasure to meet with you, Mister Frost."

"Please, your Highness," Jack felt really weird when that word seeped from his mouth, "call me Jack, I feel much better if you did."

Elsa giggled, she was amused by Jack's efforts to remain tight and professional. But Elsa wasn't here to meet with a stick-in-the-mud, she wanted to meet the brazen, bold wolfish boy she met in Baldur's paintings, and find out if he had her "criteria."

Specifically, that there was more to him than an unkempt, unsophisticated _commoner_, a realization she concluded from his rather simplistic attire; Elsa has nothing against commoners, mind you, but as Queen of Arendelle, it was ingrained in her to maintain a high standard: Kristoff was an exception since he did receive a royal title of his own to justify courting and marrying her sister. If Jack was the genuine article she's been looking for, then maybe she could make an exception for herself, too.

"Jack, you don't need to address me with such formality, there's nobody here to make a fuss over it."

"Yeah, but still, I mean, you know... we just met, I just wanted to make sure I don't come off the wrong way."

Honest to a fault, so far so good, she thought.

Jack felt really awkward, it was time to start getting a bit more comfortable, or at least try to.

"So, I think we went over this, but again, I'm surprised you can control ice as well."

"Well, it's not like I wanted them, I mean, at first."

"What do you mean?"

Elsa recounted the horrible experience of her life, how she was born with her ice powers, how she almost hurt people she cared about, and how, seven years ago she almost destroyed her own homeland in an eternal winter, with help from her sister, she learned how to accept those powers and how everything turned out for the better in the end.

"That's..." Jack couldn't quite find the words, he was feeling a wide mix of assorted feelings well up inside him:

Sorrow that he wasn't there for her.

Anger at how people would consider her a monster.

Joy that she learned how to accept herself and how everything turned out in the best possible way.

Elsa lifted a brow at him, "What's wrong, Jack?"

"Nothing... it's just, I'm sorry, Elsa, I didn't know you went through so much."

Elsa let off a huge sigh, all these memories struck a chord in her, and she couldn't help the onslaught of feelings she herself experienced that moment.

"It's nice you care, Jack, and I'm happy you sympathize with me. But as I've told you, I've won the battle with my inner demons, and I couldn't be more grateful."

Both of them smiled as their comfort levels increased, neither of them noticed how close their hands shifted to each other. Elsa pulled away first, feeling flustered to be that close.

"S-sorry about that, Elsa."

"No no, it's fine Jack, I didn't know what I was doing. But now that my little tale is over, would you like to share yours?"

Jack rolled his eyes and stared away from her, "I'd... well, it's a long story."

Elsa smiled and inched a little closer, "I like long stories, it was the only thing that kept me from becoming bored to death in my room."

No getting away from her, is there? Jack acquiesced and decided to begin his tale.

"It all began a long, long time ago in my world. I was once mortal, and had a sister..."

Jack thereafter proceeded to a lengthy explanation of his personal tale: How his noble sacrifice to save his sibling thereafter cursed (or as his future revelation exposed, blessed) him to become Jack Frost, the Spirit of Winter and a Guardian of childhood.

Yet his existence was not a happy one, at least not initially. For centuries since his "rebirth" Jack lived with no one able to see him since, as a Guardian, the perception of his existence was dependent on people believing in his existence. For a good century or two Jack lived in despair at the realization that no one would ever believe, and thus see, him.

Elsa involuntarily sobbed at this point, "Elsa? Is something the matter? Was it something I said?"

"No, no it's not you Jack. It's just..." Elsa recalled how she was shut into her room for the good part of her life, she recalled how unbearably lonely it was, but after hearing Jack's story, she realized how much worse he had it: Elsa was locked in her home but at least she had a family and castle staff whom she could interact with; but Jack, he lived his whole life invisible, no one to see or hear him, and perhaps most depressing of all, no one to talk to about his lot in life.

"Elsa..." Jack knelt in front of her, "...you can tell me what's wrong, being a get-to-know, you would think to tell me what's wrong." He flashed one of those winning smiles, the kind of smile that showed not just happiness, but the kind of smile that showed how much better of a person he was after going through so much. Seeing that brought a sense of joy into Elsa's heart, there really was something about a smile that told about someone's life experience.

"Anyway, would you like me to continue, Elsa?"

"Sure, Jack."

He proceeded to talk of one event in recent memory which changed his life forever. One day the Man in the Moon, the being who chose the Guardians, gathered them and Frost together to combat the influence of Pitch Black, a being who embodied darkness and fear. Jack told of how Pitch nearly destroyed the Guardians, shattering children's faith in their existence, and on the verge of creating a world dominated by fear – a world where he and only he wielded power.

Yet it was Jack, through his unwavering resolve not to give in to despair, and the faith of one child who continued to believe in the Guardians, and the first to finally believe in Jack Frost; that faith was all they needed to break Pitch's hold on the world. Powered by the children's beliefs and their courage renewed, Jack and his companion battled Pitch, and, without the Fear that once fueled him, Pitch lost whatever power he held and was forced to flee, and unfortunately for him, since he was now the only being in existence who felt fear, he unwittingly found himself dragged away to his domain, an ironic end for the so-called Boogeyman.

"Unbelievable, isn't it?" Jack rubbed his head's backside, not really expecting Elsa to take his story seriously, but Elsa smiled, genuinely enraptured by his tale, tall or not.

"I've always considered such stories to be the fancy of childish story-tellers, until now."

"You're not thinking this all just the crazy imagination of some random passerby who's clearly lost his marbles, do you?"

"Normally, I would. But these past few minutes were already enough for me to know that this is not quite a normal situation."

"What do you mean?"

"This," Elsa produced a flurry of ice from her palm, and Jack caught onto the hint, "You mean... the fact we both have winter powers?"

Elsa stared into her hands as she danced a large snowflake in her hands, she was in deep contemplation, "I thought I was the only one with this power. I thought I alone could hold dominion over frost and the cold... I'm sorry Jack, I... I don't know what to say..."

Suddenly, with a flourish of Jack's hand, Elsa's snowflake morphed into motes of snow which formed into two people dancing, Elsa was taken aback, surprised and then feeling... delight?

Jack broke down what she was experiencing within his next sentence, "You thought you would never be able to experience the joy of being able to share this power with another person who was like you, right? A kindred spirit who shared "

_He hit the nail right in the head_, Elsa thought. It seemed Uncle Baldur was right about the young man in the painting, maybe she did have _everything to do_ with him.

"Hey Elsa?"

"Yes Jack?"

"Do you know how to figure-skate?"

(Elsewhere in the cold woods)

"A talking snowman... cool!" after Jamie had gotten over his initial fears, he and Olaf eventually started warming up to each other.

Though not before going on a somewhat lengthy tirade about how a snowman could possibly be interested in _warm_ hugs.

Olaf doesn't really understand the principle, he simply reasoned that anyone, even a snowman, should enjoy the comfort of being able to experience that most cherished of interactive friendships, which is to say hugs.

To Jamie, however, the "principle" was besides the point. He pinched his nose, at a loss for a snowman who seemed to have no comprehension of the natures of heat and cold, Olaf would just smile.

Sighing in resignation, Jamie decided it was best to be direct, he certainly looked dumb enough that maybe the cold (or perhaps warm) truth wouldn't hurt him, "So Olaf, if you like warm hugs, how do you stay cold?"

Olaf perked up and was eager to answer, "Oh well, it's all thanks to this little thing right here," Olaf pointed to a small dark cloud that floated above his head, "It's a snow flurry that my maker made especially for me, now I never have to worry about melting in the hot seasons."

Now that he mentioned it, Jamie started taking notice of a strange mist of cold hanging above Olaf, he thought it was just part of the icy fog surrounding the lake.

"With this I can go anywhere I want and never melt!" Olaf exclaimed with glee, "Now I can smell flowers or go lounge in the sun or eat frankfurters."

"You can do all this just because of a little snow cloud over your head?"

"Oh and so much more!" Following his statement, Olaf felt a sneeze-itch on his carrot nose, he tried his darndest to hold it in, but nature always finds it's way, and Olaf dispelled such force that his head and the rest of his disproportionate body exploded all around them.

As soon as Olaf snapped back to reality, he looked down and saw that his nose was missing, and a pair of feet that didn't look like his.

"That's odd, I don't remember wearing boots coming here."

A pair of mitten-covered hands gripped his cheeks and pushed him upwards.

"That's because those are my boots, Olaf."

"Oh, sorry about that, Jamie," his body was having a hard time tracing back to him. (This scene was funnier in my head, but reading something funny is fundamentally different from looking at something funny)

"Here, let me help you get that." Jamie first gathered Olaf's lowest half and sitting it down on the ground in a crevice on some rocks so it doesn't move around too much; he proceeded to gather his upper torso and his branch arms, which got stuck in trees.

_Great_, Jamie thought, _he just had to be a snowman with wooden arms._

Jamie climbed one solid oak and had a look about, "All right, Olaf, how about you wave your arms and maybe I can spot them?"

"Okay Jamie," Olaf responded and felt the rest of his detached body move, hoping Jamie was sharp enough to find his arms. Unfortunately, a mild brisk tore through their neck of the woods, making every stick, branch and twig swivel in their positions.

Jamie facepalmed, _This will definitely take a while, I hope Jack isn't watching and planning to make a fool of me._

(The Lake)

But Jack wasn't watching nor making plans to make a fool of Jamie, he was with his new acquaintance, the Snow Queen Elsa, and they were busy trying figure skating on the lake.

Elsa decided that, in order to best achieve full range of motion on the ice, shifted her ice-blue dress into a skin-tight skating outfit – though it was functional but modest, Jack fought to keep his mouth from dropping at how much of Elsa's figure was highlighted by her new clothing, his heart jumping through his hoodie (and a little something from below the waist trying to jump out of his pants).

"Jack? Jack!" Jack snapped back to reality as Elsa's voice echoed around him, hiding a blush from his face - abashed by his momentary lapse from reality.

"Jack, what's wrong?" Elsa approached him, incognizant of his embarassment.

"Nothing, nothing at all, Elsa," After straightening himself out and regaining composure, Jack took his herding staff and tapped the bottom end on the ground, a huge bulb of ice formed around Jack, before receding to reveal Jack in a form-fitting, black and blue suit which wrapped around his body.

Much like Elsa, Jack's outfit was modest and didn't show much, but Elsa could see enough that her imagination ran wild with it. She normally doesn't feel warm anywhere on her body, but her face felt unusually steamy (and so did something else between the hips)

Jack caught on and waved a hand in front of Elsa, "Yoohoo? Your Majesty?"

Elsa snapped back as soon as she realized how long she'd been zoning out.

"Oh, uhm... I, what... where were we?"

Jack chuckled, Elsa had her funny side as well, it seemed.

"Are you all right, Elsa?"

"I'm fine! I mean..." Elsa cleared her throat, before replying in a proper voice, "I'm fine, Jack, I was just thinking about what exactly we're going to do aside from figure-skate?"

Jack placed his hands to his chin, thinking of a way to make this little event more "competitive" and an idea popped in his head.

"I have an idea, how about we try carving a snowflake on the lake? Whoever carves the prettiest snowflake wins?"

Elsa raised a brow, "Now that doesn't seem fair."

Jack smirked, "Why? Afraid mine will be better than yours?"

She crossed her arms and presented bold confidence to Jack, "On the contrary, Jack. I'm worried that yours won't compare to mine."

_Oh it's on now, Queenie, pretty eyes or not._

"Very well, your Highness," he addressed with much sarcasm, "would you like to have the first go?"

Rather than humor him, Elsa decided not to rise to the bait, "No, you can go right ahead, Mister Frost"

Confident of his abilities, Jack took the first turn, sliding, skidding and slicing across the solid sheets above the frozen water like a true ice-rink champion, looking back he saw a streamlined, artistic snowflake lined about the ice, he felt his chest swell with pride and glanced to Elsa, basically asking her to _top that_ without asking; Elsa, however, was not to be underestimated.

She matched his flamboyant and flashy display with movements of grace and elegance, carving and jumping with spins and flourish.

After completing her design, her snowflake was noticeably more dainty and curved, featuring soft angles and an almost flowery design to it.

Jack looked at the snowflake, it was certainly different and spoke volumes of the differences between them; in spite of that, Jack could still appreciate the beauty in it.

Jack was once again in awe of the lovely snow queen, he didn't notice that Elsa was trying to grab his attention again, "Jack? Jack!"

For the second time today, Jack snapped back to reality after a brief daze in his subconscious.

"Jack, are you sure you're all right?" Elsa looked a bit concerned at how strange Jack was acting for some reason.

Jack cleared his throat, "Um, yes, I was just..." he tried to come up with something, quickly, "...taken aback by how beautiful your design is."

Elsa suspected otherwise, "You're just throwing false courtesies, Mister Frost."

"No, no, really, I mean..." Jack really wanted to express how much he loved her design, he sighed, regaining his bearings, "Your snowflake is breathtaking, Elsa, I've never seen anyone put so much effort and concentration on their design, it's..." Jack caught himself, his voice was letting emotion slip out like a bag of spilling, "...beautiful"

Those words breathed a life of their own in Elsa, she was used to people cheering and expressing delight over her wonderful ice patterns, but Jack's expression of deep sincerity over it... it simply... what's the word? Touched her heart.

"Oh, Jack..." they unconsciously held hands and just stared at each other, not letting themselves out of their sights.

(Olaf and Jamie again)

After climbing up what appeared to have been the twentieth tree, Jamie finally plucked Olaf's arms and returned them from his impatient, tumbling upper torso. Once he was finally done with it, he picked up his head and set it up back on Olaf's top layer, finishing with the snowman by plugging his nose back firmly into place, albeit maybe a little too firmly, the carrot's tip being the only thing visible to him.

"Hmm... my nose seems a tad smaller than I remember."

Jamie slapped the rear end of Olaf's head and the nose slid back into place, though it gave Olaf one heck of a headache for a brief moment.

"You okay Olaf? Did I come on too hard?"

After getting his bearings squared away, Olaf responded, "Oh I'm okay, thanks for the help Jamie."

"No problem, Olaf."

"Well, I'm sorry I had to take off so much of your time, Jamie, but I think I'd better go find my maker, she's probably worried about me."

Jamie nodded, as he also needed to get back to Jack, "Okay, maybe we'll meet again some day?"

Olaf offered a warm smile, as warm as a snowman should, it seemed, "No doubt, see ya later, Jamie."

"Bye Olaf."

Later, after retracing his steps, Olaf eventually managed to find Elsa, "Elsa! I've finally found you!"

"Olaf, where have you been? I've been wondering where you were this whole time."

"Oh I was just having a pleasant conversation with the boy you were going to meet."

Elsa was perplexed, "Wait, what?"

Olaf continued, "Anyway, I think he's a pretty nice kid, but I think he may be too young for you, Elsa."

Bemused, Elsa decided to ask Olaf about where he found him, to which he replied, "Oh we were just talking in the woods, he was about this tall and had short brown hair. Like I said, too young."

Elsa laughed heartily, "Oh, Olaf, I think we should get back soon, Anna and the rest of the family might be wondering where we are."

"Okay, you just lead the way, Elsa, I'm no good at directions like I thought I was."

(Elsewhere)

"What? You found her without me?" Jamie was kinda angry that Jack didn't try and find him when he found Elsa.

"Well, I couldn't just leave her alone in the dust, er, snow just like that! I have principles, too Jamie."

"Whatever, anyway, you won't believe what I found in the woods today."

Jamie began talking about his experiences with the snowman Olaf, how he was at first frightened of the little guy, and how he took forever reassembling him.

Jack listened the whole way, though switching thoughts between himself and Elsa, and listening in on Jamie's conversation.

(Arendelle)

Back in Arendelle, everyone gathered together for dinnertime, but Elsa's mind was elsewhere, swirling her bowl of corn soup and thinking about her time spent with Jack.

She didn't even hear her sister Anna calling her name, "Elsa? Elsa?" having had enough of her sister being up in the clouds, "ELSA!"

That finally caught her attention, "Huh, what? Oh, Anna... what is it?"

"What do you mean 'what is it?' You've been up in the clouds for an hour now, what's going on?"

Elsa wanted to keep this a secret, "Uh, nothing, I've just been busy with some... land grants that's been bugging me."

Anna wouldn't buy it, in fact she marched right up to her sister, took a good look at her eyes (and really making a scene to everyone else), and trying to find out what's really bugging her sister.

"Anna, please, you're kind of in my personal bubble now."

Kristoff pulled Anna away as soon as the entree's entered the room, "Kristoff! Let me go!"

"Anna, please, not during dinnertime."

Elsa sighed, she was glad for Kristoff getting Anna out of her face, it was kind of unnerving, even more so when she was trying to hide the identity of her newfound significant other.

She would tell her when the time was right.

(North's Workshop)

Shortly after his meeting with the snow queen, The Man in the Moon gathered together the Guardians at North's workshop for some urgent business.

Jack stepped in, getting into the thick of things "Hey guys, what's going on?"

Bunnymund was the first to greet him, "About time you got here, Icicles, what kept you?"

Jack smirked, "I had a date, nothing special."

Tooth seemed excited, "Ooh! Who with?"

"Sorry, Tooth, but I'm afraid that's confidential until we're steady."

"Anyway!" North's voice boomed so that everyone got their attention, "It seems Manny has something important to tell us. If you'd just examine right here."

North activated his holographic globe, which showed, across certain areas of the globe, a trail of jagged, cracked glowing lines tracing across the surface, pulsing with malign light.

Jack looked perplexed, "What's going on? Is it Pitch?"

"No," North said grimly, "it's someone far more terrifying."

"How so?" Jack asked.

"Put it this way: even Pitch himself would be afraid of this guy."

(The Dark)

Many people fear the dark, and for good reason.

The Dark is impossible to see into, it was deep, it was vast; and most frightening of all: it was home to things who don't like attracting attention to themselves. Especially things born from and filled with ill intent.

In a secret place hidden within the Earth was Pitch's domain: a dark underground that housed the boogieman and where he plotted to bring the fears of children to the fore. Here in this place he nursed his grudge against the Guardians, and especially Jack Frost, who singlehandedly brought his downfall in a fortnight, and where he schemed of ways to deal his future retribution against them.

But there was more in the air than his foul presence and his thoughts of revenge. He also sensed a change in the world, an impalpable darkness both similar to and unlike himself awaken from the crevices of the Abyss.

Pitch knew only one thing – another tide of darkness was coming, and it was heading for his little burrow in the ground. Without warning a huge tidal wave of shadows flooded his cavern and Pitch felt himself overcome by the presence, but he hadn't any idea what it was doing here in his lair.

_Hello Boogieman_, the Darkness stated.

_What manner of business brings you here, Wolf?_ Pitch asked.

_The tides of darkness rose and I was chosen to crawl from out of the roiling mass of the Blackness to the shores to this world; besides, I smell love in the air, and I despise such a smell. Also, Pitch, wouldn't you want a chance to avenge your humiliation? To retake the world as it was meant to be?_

Pitch seethed with his craving for vengeance, _I would like nothing more._

_Then come with me, I've found a suitable partner in crime from a world over who'd be willing to help us._

_Who?_ Without an answer, the Darkness departed without another word. Should Pitch follow him as he asked, or go find his own solutions? He snickered, maybe there would be something to gain working with Wolf, and decided to follow the path of the darkness as it left.

(South of Arendelle)

On a lone rock in the middle of the sea, trapped in a cold, dank prison, there was a man.

He was a man of great aspirations, once. He was a man who wasn't afraid to push people aside when it suited his interests, once.

Now he was a broken, disheveled hermit living alone on an isolated stone far and away from civilization.

How long had it been? Who was he? He once knew he was on the verge of great success, only to have that victory stolen from right under his nose, and now, all he wanted was to wash his hands in the blood of those who shamed him so, if only he could remember; if only his broken mind could just find that answer.

Instead, the answer came from the specters of darkness around his dank cell.

_Hans?_

"Who is there?" he asked.

_I am a friend, Hans, a friend who sees someone in dire straits._

"What do you want?" Anger dripping from every syllable.

_I've come to give you power, Hans, is that not what you want?_

"Power?" Suddenly, old memories began to return to the fore: Power, that lone word sang a lifetime of his character.

He remembered how, envious of the fortunes of his older brothers, he smelled opportunity when he heard of the coronation of Arendelle's queen, how he manipulated her sister for his own gains, and how he almost would have had it all – Power.

When his treachery was made known, his brothers, disgusted by what he was willing to do, cast him aside and sentenced him to the most isolated prison in the Southern Isles. For seven years he languished while his mind began to rot, for seven years the only thought in his mind being hatred for the people who took away his chances, such that even when all other memories faded, hatred was the only thing that kept him going.

_Dost thou desire Power?_ When the Darkness whispered that word to him, Hans's ears pricked, a smile curving on his treacherous face.

"I want power... I want revenge..." he whispered like a mantra.

_Then let us shake to it_, a hand formed of blackness emerged and reached out to Hans, and with only a brief moment of hesitation, Hans reached out and sealed his pact.

_I assure you my liege, you will not be disappointed, there is no power in the world greater... than the power of Hate._

**And thus ends the final chapter, maybe. Well, it all depends on what you guys think. As for me, I'm gonna give myself a week or so because this chapter took me forever to finish, a whole frakkin' eleven pages long. Read and review, and as always, thanks for your time.**


	4. Reindeer Prince

**Reindeer Prince**

_(This chapter was born out of my need to introduce more KristAnna into the plot and maybe flesh out the story from another person's angle.)_

Baldur was still sitting down on his stool sketching when the rest of the family arrived, out first from the underbrush were the children: Gustaf and Agatha, bless their hearts.

Out next came Kristoff and Anna, looking at each other and talking turkey or some such.

Finally, Elsa and Olaf came strolling along, Olaf carrying a tiny dandelion and giving it a whiff, silly little snowman. As for Elsa, she was deep in thought, thinking about something that put a smile to Baldur's face.

_Looks like she's found him._

As soon as everyone was gathered back around it was time to pick the cloths and basket and head back home. Elsa remained silent for a good while of the trip back, still deep in thought about the boy at the lake whom she met. Anna looked at Elsa and noticed she was acting rather peculiarly, her eyes were looking at things that weren't there.

"Elsa?" Anna was walking beside her now, "Elsa?"

Agatha broke the ice between the sisters, "AUNTIE ELSA!"

Agatha's astonishingly loud voice reverberated in everybody's ears, and even Elsa snapped back to reality once everyone re-balanced themselves.

"Agatha, what's the matter?"

Little Agatha popped a smile, "My mommy was trying to ask you something."

Elsa turned back to her sister, "Oh, I'm sorry, Anna, I was thinking about... something," Elsa felt short of a proper response.

Anna looked at her with worry and a little irritation, "I'll say you're thinking about something. What's going on Elsa? You're head has been up in the clouds since we left the forest."

"I assure you, Anna, I'm perfectly fine," Elsa managed to regain her composure, and resumed a more poised stance to throw her off.

But Anna was not going to be fooled, "Elsa, out with it, what happened in there?"

_I absolutely cannot let her know about Jack, not yet. Time for me to use the old politicians' strategy: Deny, deny, deny._

"Anna, you are simply tired from our little excursion in the woods, now I'm sure a nice cool drink back at the castle should surely help cure whatever ails your head."

"I... that is... Elsa!" Elsa had established a powerful personal barrier of secrecy around herself, casually strutting away from Anna, who was dumbfounded by how coolly Elsa deflected her.

Anna looked to everyone present, as though asking for help, "Kristoff?"

He shook his head, "I swore an oath never to come between you and your sister in matters of personal affairs."

"Kids?"

"Auntie Elsa gets really scary whenever you snoop around her business, Mama." Gustaf replied.

"Yeah, remember what happened before your birthday last year?" Agatha snickered at the memory.

That was a memory she didn't want to have to recall, Anna turned to Olaf.

"I'm sorry, I only do warm hugs." (Somehow I think this one fits really well)

_Figures._

It was Baldur who came to save her from her own awkwardness"Relax, Anna, I'm fairly sure Elsa has absolutely nothing going on, she certainly would have told you otherwise."

She sighed, "Okay, I guess you're right, Uncle Baldur."

"Now that that's all over with, what say we get on back to the castle and resume our merry-making there?"

Anna, though acquiescing to the present situation, swore inwardly that she would not be caught unawares again.

(About twenty years ago)

One year before the beginning of Elsa's exile, the two royal siblings of Arendelle were happily excited for a jolly Christmas season.

All of Arendelle prepared itself, from the young to the old, for a day of love, good food, and perhaps best of all – presents from good old Saint Nick. Anna, being the younger and thus more impressionable of the two children, was more excited than any of her immediate family.

While in their shared room and doing her older sister's hair, Anna asked what Elsa had planned for Christmas, specifically what she was expecting from Santa Claus, "So Elsa, what kind of gifts are you expecting this year?"

"Well..." Elsa placed her tiny pointer to her lips, thinking about a reply, "...I always wanted to try one of those Southern Isle perfumes, I hear they bring a fond scent and even Mother is curious about it."

"Oooh, I heard about those, do you mind if I try some whenever you get it?"

"You mean IF I get it, Anna, Mother said trade with the other nations are going to be closed for the week for the Christmas festivities, there's one more ship coming in tomorrow but I haven't an idea if its from the Southern Isles or not."

Anna smiled, "Well, I'm not worried, I'm sure Santa Claus will come and bring that fancy perfume."

Elsa rolled her eyes, as the older and thus more mature of the two she didn't believe in such things, she wanted to live up to her parents' expectations when she eventually inherits the kingdom from them.

Still, shooting down one's hopes, even that of a hopeless idealist like her sister, would be rude, so she decided to ask what she expected for Christmas, "Anyway, Anna, what are you expecting from Santa Claus?"

Anna's face drifted to one of a sappy girl drowned in her sappy romance fantasies, "Oh nothing much, just a request for a handsome, dashing prince to come sweep me off my feet."

Elsa tried to stifle a giggle, "Um, Anna, I don't think Santa Claus makes handsome princes for little girls, "

Anna pouted, "He does to!"

(Present)

Back at the castle, everyone were spread about in their own corner, busy with their own lives before the socializing of dinner later tonight. Anna was in her room, fashioning some clothes for her little ones, delicately knitting what appeared to be a set of pants with deft precision, something you probably never expected if this were Anna seven years ago.

Little Agatha rushed into the room, she looked like she had some important news for Anna.

"Mama?"

"Did you find out anything, Agatha?"

"No, nothing at all, but Auntie Elsa's been acting kinda weird."

"What do you mean weird?"

"Well, she hasn't been in the archive ever since we came back."

"That's not that weird, she has to take breaks from her queenly duties sometimes."

"I thought so too, except I saw her writing letters in her room some time ago," Agatha produced one such letter from her pocket and gave it to her mother.

"This... This is...!"

The letter bore a wax seal closing it on the front, bearing a tiny heart shape bordered with curved shapes about like rose petals, but it was more than just a simple seal, it was the Courting Seal of Arendelle (Well if Royal Ice-deliverer is a thing then so is a Courting Seal). A special seal reserved by the Arendelle royal family to mark letters for people which they send to their "significant others."

Why is there such a special Seal for just such an occasion? Well, according to the story which Anna heard from her parents (bless their souls) the story goes that one day, their great-great grandfather was once in love with the daughter of a simple ice-cutting peasant. His parents, though open-minded about the whole thing, didn't want to make a fuss about it since they wanted to keep appearances and not seem like they were entertaining the notion of taking fancies to _commoners_ in Arendelle.

Things got worse as he did nothing but pine for her when he discovered he couldn't be with her anymore, and genuinely concerned, the king and queen knew they had to find some way of getting them to interact with each other.

It was then they conceived the Heart-in-Petals emblem of the Courting Seal of Arendelle, a special seal whose existence and purpose has been kept secret from all but the Royal Family of Arendelle, to be used by those who feel strongly the need to court and interact with one who was essentially out of their social standing.

So far, the Courting Seal has only ever been used twice – During the time of their great-great grandfather before his beloved's family earned a special favor from the King and were considered publicly suitable to interact with romantically.

The second time was when their father, the King himself, courted their mother, who was at the time a traveling philosopher who settled in Arendelle and who developed feelings for the King. Their mother was eventually made a librarian in the castle archive and allowed the two to bond more closely before they eventually got hitched.

For Elsa of all people to be using the Courting Seal was a HUGE deal for Anna, and she was driven to get to the bottom of this.

She stood up and was about to head out the door when Kristoff showed up, "Whoa Anna, where's the fire?"

"Kristoff, what are you doing here all of a sudden?"

"I was asked by your Uncle to deliver this painting into your room." Anna looked beside him and saw that he was carrying a large rectangular board-like object on his arm wrapped in heavy cloth.

"Oh that's right, I asked him if I could have one of his paintings to decorate my room with."

He hefted it inside his wife's room, "So where'd you like me to place it?"

Anna pointed to a large table on the side, "Just prop it against the wall right over here."

After placing it gently and resting it against the wall, Kristoff examined the obscured piece of work laid before them, "Now I wonder what this is supposed to be?"

"I have no idea, although when I asked Uncle what he was giving me for my room, he said it was _special_."

Kristoff raised a brow, "How is it _special_?"

"I haven't the foggiest."

Anna decided to have a look under the cloth to see what was so interesting about this painting.

Upon unfurling the cloth, the actual painting revealed underneath was a majestic panorama, though upon closer examination, there was definitely something about it that piqued Anna's interest.

Suddenly, old memories began flooding back when she saw the title of the work.

_The Reindeer Prince at The Door of Despair_

(Twenty years ago again)

Escaping from her parents and her sister from Christmas rehearsals for the Yuletide Party that Christmas Eve, Anna hid away with her Uncle Baldur at his room/art gallery, "Thanks for letting me hide here, Uncle, Yuletide rehearsals can be sooo boring." Anna drew out the O vowel right there.

"No problem, my dear, but don't you feel left out? Do you really want to hide through another rehearsal?"

"Nope, besides, I never really do anything significant anyway. Just a bunch of standing stiff while some guy in a fancy hat recites some gibberish or whatever."

Baldur was amused by her frank sense of humor. With thoughts of the rehearsal aside, she looked up and saw what Baldur was finishing up.

It looked like some kind of frozen sea, surrounded by a blizzard and filled with derelict ships grounded stiff by the ice, yet it was not these features that made it so unique, but two figures separated by the distance of the panorama.

One side was a woman, who looked weak, pale as death, her arm outstretched to another figure across the ice. Said figure was a well-built, handsome and rugged man who seemed to be riding a reindeer towards the dying woman.

"What's the name of this piece, Uncle?"

"I call it 'The Reindeer Prince at The Door of Despair' and I think I captured the emotion of the both of them very well."

"Is there a story behind it?"

"Well..." Baldur began, not quite sure how to explain given the circumstance of _why_ the painting exists, "...It's the story of a young princess who was on the verge of death, and who was left to perish alone in a frozen graveyard of ships by enemies who wanted to manipulate her with their lies. Coming to her rescue came the Reindeer Prince, her true love, who realized that he did love her after much contemplation, and rushed to her side, hoping he wasn't too late."

Anna's eyes grew large with astonishment and curiosity, she wanted to know how it ended.

"Please, Uncle Baldur, I want to know how it ends."

"I don't know how it ends, Anna."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

_Because I can't tamper with that which is destined to occur by itself_, Baldur thought, he needed a way out of this which could satisfy Anna, "I heard this tale from one of the ice cutters who gather from the northern shores. He was going to tell me the rest before he had to cast off to parts unknown, I haven't heard of him since."

"Oh," Anna looked to the floor, crestfallen for being unable to hear the end of it.

Baldur sighed, he didn't want to disappoint family like this, "All right, Anna, maybe we could go to the northern shore and we can figure out the ending?"

She squealed with glee like a little devil, and before I knew it we departed for the cellar beneath the palace where I usually go to escape.

"Why are we all the way down here, Uncle?"

"Because of the secret passage, Anna."

Anna looked rather puzzled, "I don't remember any secret passages."

Baldur smirked, "That's because it's my little secret," Baldur sketched what appeared to be the drawing of a portal on his little pad of paper, after finishing it, he pulled it off and plastered the sheet on a wall in the cellar. As if replicating the detail of the sketch, the wall absorbed the paper and began to reorganize itself, forming a circular portal which tunneled to some part of the castle exterior.

Anna stared in amazement, "Wow, Uncle Baldur, I didn't know you did magic too!"

He smirked, "There are many things about me you don't know."

Hopefully no one would miss them too long while they traveled the length of Baldur's magic passage. A light shown near the end of the tunnel, cool shimmering moonlight flooding and bouncing off the tunnels.

Once they emerged they found themselves facing a little bay frozen over and several dozen ice-cutters harvesting large chunks from it.

"That looks like fun, Uncle Baldur!"

"Easy my dear, now let's see if we can't find my friend around here."

(Present)

"Anna? Anna!" Kristoff was waving his hand in front of Anna, he was trying to snap her out of her sudden trance.

"She's not snapping out of it, is she, Papa?" Agatha was just standing timidly by the corner.

Kristoff scratched his head, "I guess so. Well, you know what to do, Agatha."

"Yes, Papa," Kristoff covered his ears as Agatha positioned herself, and let loose...

"**MAMA!"**

Anna jumped at her daughter's banshee wail and fell on her back. As soon as she composed herself, Anna looked about to see little Agatha still standing there, face as blank as a Moai.

"What... Wha- Who?"

"You were in a daze so I snapped you out of it." Agatha answered matter-of-factly. Ever since she discovered how incomprehensibly loud she could be, Agatha was often used by her family to break up arguments, that or snap people out of trances. (Agatha's booming voice has potential for a running gag, methinks)

"Oh, thank you, Agatha, I had no idea what came over me."

She smiled, "Well, I'm gonna go see if we have any chocolates, I'm feeling a sweet tooth tingling."

Once she left, it was just Anna and Kristoff in the room, with Anna needing to explain to a very curious and interested Kristoff what just happened.

"So, um... yes, I was in kind of a daze, huh, Kristoff?"

"_Kind of in a daze? _Anna, it looked like you were a statue while your mind escaped your body!"

"Oh relax, dear, I was only in a daze for a little while remembering... things."

"Just spill it Anna, what happened?"

Anna sighed, Kristoff could be so inquisitive, and only when it involves Anna specifically.

"I just remembered something, Kristoff, something I thought I never would've recalled."

"What, Anna?"

She looked at him incredulously, "Seriously, Kristoff? You don't remember?"

"Remember what?"

Anna shook her head, "I... look, just forget it." She slumped against the bed, rubbing her head, "My head is throbbing, I think I'll take a nap before dinner."

Kristoff laid down beside her from the opposite end, "I know you're probably not in the mood but... would you be willing to entertain a quickie?"

Anna turned and smiled her cheeky smile at Kristoff, "Can't it wait until this evening, Kristoff?"

He smirked, "Come on Anna, I've heard from doctors that it's good for headaches."

She rolled over to face him, "Really, Kristoff?"

"Cross my heart."

She pinched her chin thoughtfully, "Oh, what the heck, I could use a little fixer-upper."

Kristoff snickered, it's been a while since she talked about fixer-uppers. He returned to the door, locked it shut, and came into Anna's personal bubble, husband and wife leaned in and kissed before later passions were had.

(Insert nondescript M-rated scene here)

After all was said and done, Anna and Kristoff were sleeping soundly in their bed, her headache had cleared up just as Kristoff promised. In her mind, dreams played out of an interesting experience from her childhood that she never knew existed. She suspected the trolls must have done away with it when they re-arranged her memories with Elsa, and if so, the shot to her mind was a lot harder than she thought.

She wondered prior to her little fling with her hubby as to why the painting would jar such memories, but she wasn't in any mood for searching old, forgotten memories, for now she dreamed a little dream.

_A dream about her Reindeer Prince._

(Twenty Years ago)

While Baldur was away trying to seem busy so as to distract Anna, the latter was busy on the bay, fascinated by the work the ice-cutters did everyday.

She skipped through the ice waving and smiling to the workers, who looked back to her and smiled gentle smiles as well. She probably should have paid more attention to her footing when she stepped on a rogue snow drift and bumped her head on the ground, momentarily knocked out.

When she awoke, she found herself on all fours and feeling a strange rocking motion, she looked around and saw she was floating on a chunk that somehow broke off from the rest of the bay, probably because the integrity of the ice was weakening from the ice-cutters' activities. Suddenly feeling panic swell in her, Anna did what any little girl did as she drifted further from the ice.

"Help! Uncle Baldur! Somebody!"

Her shouting caught everyone's attention, and everyone looked in shock and fright as she slowly drifted further than was necessary.

"Somebody... help..." Anna felt tears well up in her eyes, she thought she was going to die, she thought she would never see her family again, she thought she would never be able to find true love...

"Hey, kid! What are you doing!?"

Anna looked up and saw what appeared to be a young reindeer faun, swimming towards her and carrying a young lad on his back.

"Hurry, Sven!"

As soon as they were within range of the drifting ice platform, the boy jumped off, braving the freezing water and beckoning Anna to jump on the back of his reindeer. After a little hesitation, Anna slowly inched and jumped on the reindeer's back, she looked back at the brave young boy who came to her rescue before he and his animal partner began swimming back towards the adults.

Anna looked back and although the boy was clearly used to the cold, even she could see that he wasn't exactly built for the icy temperatures of the bay. After more fierce scrambling the three finally made it back to shore. Anna got off the reindeer and reached for Baldur, who had just made it to see the end of all the commotion. Meanwhile, the young boy who came to her rescue was unconscious, the cold water and air finally hitting him like a wheelbarrow of bricks, rendering him unconscious. The grown men took the boy to a nearby shed to thaw him out and see if he was still alive.

Although Baldur wanted to bring her back to the castle by now, Anna was concerned for the boy's safety and rushed to the shed after them. Inside they wrapped him in thick fur blankets and brought him as close to the hearth as was safe enough.

Anna came dashing in and looked at him, eyes closed and breathing slowly.

_Please be all right..._

Anna didn't want to bear the guilt of being the cause of her savior's demise, so she knelt down beside him and prayed for him not to die. In the middle of all of it, he finally woke up, albeit weakly, and their eyes caught each other momentarily, either unable to speak for a long moment. Baldur barged in and interrupted their little silent conversation.

"Anna, I know you'd like to express your thanks to him and all, but we need to go back now, they might be done with rehearsals and could be worried about you."

Anna stared at him a little longer, before she took Baldur's hand and prepared to depart the shed, "Sure, Uncle..."

The boy stared at her long and hard even while she disappeared from the shed's doorframe, a little breathless after seeing the strawberry blond beauty exchange stares with him. Suddenly his head felt a little woozy and he fell unconscious again. After tonight, his memory would unfortunately turn a little hazy for the remainder of his years.

And Anna would unfortunately not remember when the Trolls rearranged her memories, until she saw Baldur's painting.

(Present)

Anna had admitted some time before that when she finally realized she loved Kristoff a small part of her wished Kristoff would have saved her when Elsa plunged Arendelle into a dangerous blizzard, and although she had no regrets that he wasn't exactly able to, she felt a little disappointed that she denied him the chance to do so.

Now she smiled inwardly at the memory of her dream, although Kristoff didn't exactly save her from her sister's blizzard, she was happy that, after all this time, he did in fact, save her before. Stirring slightly from her nap, she looked at Kristoff's serene, sleeping face. Maybe he'd never remember that day himself, but after seeing Baldur's painting of that monumental moment when he was on the verge of her rescue as adults, she was happy in the knowledge that her Reindeer Prince came to her rescue already, and glad that he always would.

Speaking of Baldur's paintings...

A question raced through both Arendelle sisters' heads later on in the day, but they didn't know quite how to approach it. That question was their Uncle Baldur's amazing paintings and how, for some strange reason, they could stir such powerful feelings and memories from either. At first they figured him a simple but talented portraitist (and to Anna a secret magician), now a nagging feeling in the backs of their minds seemed to speak of something deeper than that...

"Curious, aren't we?" Baldur appeared out of nowhere, addressing some phantom audience, "But I'm afraid you'll have to wait before I introduce my true self proper. That said, I'll see you all again soon."

**So, this chapter did not turn out quite like how I imagined it to, but nevertheless I'm proud of my accomplishment.**

**Some interesting plot points and unused elements I was going to add and scrapped, including, but not limited to:**

**Making this a separate one-shot (To be posted in the main Frozen fanfic section)**

**North making an appearance. (A means to connect this with my story when I initially expected it to be a one-shot elsewhere on the site, felt it was too contrived so I scrapped the idea)**

**Kristoff's father appearing to save Anna and then drowning (Which gives Kristoff his "reindeers are better than people" mentality some justification, again, I felt that was too contrived)**

**Adding a scene involving Hans (to flesh out his role in later chapters, but decided against it for now)**

**Now that that's out of the way, comments, suggestions and the like are welcome. Oh and one more thing. This will be the final chapter of this fanfiction. Now don't get your knots in a braid, I'm merely moving future chapters to a new story because the current title is going to lose a bit of it's relevance later on, and for my faithful followers, please keep an eye on this story's title, as I will change it to accommodate these new changes. Until next time.**


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